In the process of fabricating a semiconductor device, a predetermined pattern is transferred to or drawn on a resist film having a thickness of approximately 1 .mu.m or more appropriately covering the surface of a semiconductor substrate usually having minute unevenness thereon. Then, the semiconductor substrate is processed by, for instance, adopting photolithography using the resist pattern thus obtained as a protective mask pattern.
In accordance with the conventional photolithography technology, it is very difficult that a sufficient focal depth is obtained to resolve a fine pattern of approximately 0.3 .mu.m or less with a predetermined precision, even if a wavelength of light for transferring a mask pattern to a semiconductor substrate is shortened, and a numerical aperture of a reducing projection lens is optimized. For this reason, there is the necessity to adopt a technology such as X-ray lithography, etc. having a high resolution and a large focal depth. In case where a resist film exposed to a pattern by the X-ray lithography is developed, an ordinary resist film coating and developing apparatus is used. The apparatus is provided with a mount for a semiconductor substrate which is rotated by a motor. In the apparatus, a semiconductor substrate covered with a resist film is fixed on the mount by a vacuum chuck provided thereon. Then, developer is supplied on the resist film which is rotated along with the substrate fixed to the mount by the motor, so that a predetermined pattern is developed on the resist film. Subsequently, the developed resist film is rinsed on the mount in accordance with the supply of pure water, alcohol, etc. thereto under the situation where it is rotated along with the substrate by the motor. Finally, the resist pattern thus developed is dried on the mount.
Such a conventional developing apparatus is described in the Japanese Utility Model Kokai No. 63-197331. The developing apparatus comprises a spin head having a spiral pipe therein for flowing liquid therethrough. In the developing apparatus, the liquid of a predetermined temperature is flown through the spiral pipe, so that the temperature distribution of developer supplied on a resist film is uniform to enhance the resist pattern precision.
In the conventional developing apparatus, however, there is a disadvantage in that a resist pattern is collapsed due to surface tension of rinsing liquid flown into minute interstices of the developed resist pattern at the stage of rinsing the developed resist pattern, especially, when an aspect ratio which is a ratio between dimensions of longitudinal and transverse sides of the pattern becomes large, despite that any kind of a resist film is used.
This disadvantage is observed even in case where the X-ray lithography providing a predetermined precision in the transfer of a super-minute pattern is used.